A Year Ago, Winds of Winter Was 75% Done; Now What?
The novel has been in the works since 2012.
Summary
- Game of Thrones concluded even though Martin's novel series still hasn't been completed.
- The Winds of Winter was begun in 2012 but was only 75% complete in 2022.
- George R. R. Martin has been busy with numerous other projects, including House of the Dragon.
- During the WGA strike, the author dedicated most of his time to WoW.
When Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, it wasn't immediately obvious how insanely popular the show would eventually become. However, there would have been on Game of Thrones had it not been for George R. R. Martin's series of novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, that he started writing in the dim and distant 1991. The first book in the series was published in 1996, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Remarkably, the author hadn't finished his saga by the time Game of Thrones wrapped up, and, in fact, he still hasn't completed the sixth of the seven books he had originally planned to write.
The Winds of Winter Writing History
Titled The Winds of Winter, the sixth novel would have been started back in 2012 when George R. R. Martin mentioned he had penned about four hundred pages of the book. As per the author, a quarter of WoW was finished a year later. However, progress slowed down to a crawl after that, with Martin disappointing many fans by not completing the novel on schedule.
As of 2022, The Winds of Winter was three-quarters complete, according to Martin. Naturally, we can't help but wonder about the book's current status now that it's the end of 2023.
2023 – A Perfect Year to Finish the Book
It wasn't procrastination that held Martin from finishing the much-anticipated volume. The author has been involved in several other projects over the past few years. Primarily, he has been serving as an executive producer on House of the Dragon, a series based on his 2018 novel Fire & Blood. Additionally, Martin is an executive producer on Dark Winds, which was recently renewed for a third season, ensuring his involvement for some time to come.
Fortunately, much of 2023 was free of television commitments because of the WGA strike, which Martin strongly supported. During this period, he did some writing not having to do with TV shows, including for the book in question.
'Yes, yes, of course, I've been working on Winds of Winter. Almost every day. Writing, rewriting, editing, writing some more. Making steady progress. Not as fast as I would like… certainly not as fast as YOU would like… but progress nonetheless,' the writer shared on the blog. 'It keeps me out of trouble.'
Considering this update, it's reasonable to estimate that approximately 85-90% of The Winds of Winter is now finished, with the lower estimate appearing more realistic. With just about 10-15% of the novel remaining, George R. R. Martin might publish the book by the end of 2024. However, since he's resumed working on Dark Winds, we should remain cautious about any potential release date for WoW.
Source: Not a Blog.